Four Acres and Independence — A Self-Sufficient Farmstead (168)

Take a tour, accompanied by curious sheep and geese, of Mark Cooper’s self-sufficient small farm. Over several years, he transformed a rundown house and hillsides of berry brambles into pasture and gardens where he produces and preserves most of his family’s food. Visit the Goose Grotto in a constructed pond, a heritage fruit tree orchard, logs producing shiitake mushrooms, and a cheap-and-easy container kitchen garden. Mark gives us a close-up view of the solar dehydrator he constructed from salvaged materials — and his tips on food drying. He has husbanded up to fifty animals at a time, including two Tibetan yaks! This farmstead in Rough and Ready (CA) lives up to the town’s name — and is a testament to hard work, wide-ranging construction skills, and love.

Our Viewers Say

I love your show! Community, construction, food and energy all at a cooperative scale. You really do display a shining example of a responsible way forward. - Scott Alexander

I just want to thank you for the program on dismantling corporate rule, especially in small communities where we can feel like sitting sucks... I am not, by anyones measure, an actvist but I am proactive and love the concepts offered here. -- Myan Sorenson

I hope that you two have such an amazing, ongoing odyssey of learning, exploration, and story telling. -- Mark Lakeman